Can't Let Go
by PhantomSilverCrystal
Summary: Song Fic: Landon Pigg "Can't Let Go". Heartbreak seems to be going around Ouran. Hikaru can't seem to let go of his feelings for Haruhi even though she's with someone who seems to make her happy, and Kaoru can't figure out if he's in love or not... Things could get messy fast. Love triangle: KyoyaxHaruhixHikaru
1. Love That Didn't Last

**A.N.: Hey there, everyone! This is a sequel to my last fic (Shadow King of Anything), so if you haven't read it yet, I'd suggest doing that… You can find it on my page. Thanks :)**

**_You're the closest thing I have to bring up in a conversation, about love that didn't last._**

* * *

><p>"The way I see it, with a little push in the right direction, soon Haruhi and I could end up happy together, after all."<p>

"So," Honey started slowly, "You're NOT giving up?"

"Not by a long shot!" Hikaru declared. "Haruhi and I have something special and I won't give up until she sees it, too!"

"Um, Takashi?" Honey pulled on Mori's sleeve. The dojo mats were all but empty as Hikaru explained his master plan. His plan was relatively undeveloped. Actually, all he had worked out was the ending. He had dragged Kaoru out to Mori's place early that Saturday morning.

"Hikaru." Mori grunted. "Bad idea."

"I think it's okay. I'm just going to shake things up a little… just enough to make her rethink things. I'm going to get in her head, until all she thinks about is me."

"Hikaru, I already told you. You have to let them be, for now." Kaoru had been surprisingly quiet all the while.

"Why is this so important, Hika-chan?" Honey looked intensely at him, trying to break his concentration.

"Because." He answered lamely. After a minute, he added, "I think I lo-love her. And… she deserves better than the Shadow King."

"But if she doesn't love you back, what will you do?"

"What will I… do?"

"Yes. What will you do?"

"I suppose I'll… If she doesn't love me back?" He looked a Kaoru. He hadn't considered that possibility. "I've never loved anyone like this before, so I'm sure what you're supposed to do. But, for me, losing isn't an option. Especially to that bastard, Kyoya-sempai."

"Hika-chan? Don't hurt her because you're hurting."

"She doesn't know it yet, but if she stays with him, she's going to get hurt, too."

xxx

"Okay, just a little further. Oh! Watch your step, Haruhi!" Kyoya had his hands cupped over Haruhi's eyes from behind her as he guided her forward.

"Seriously, Kyoya. Where are we?" Haruhi had absolutely no idea where she was or what they were going to do. "You just showed up at my house, without even calling first… Would it kill you to set up a date like a normal person?"

"Normal is not why you love me." He stated plainly. "Okay, we're here."

She pushed his hands off her eyes to get a look around and it was all she could muster not to gasp aloud. The sun, shining brightly through patches of leaves in the trees above, was bright. It was a clearing in the middle of a forest. The trees were budding and the wind was swirling with the late June air. There were paper lanterns in the trees and a picnic table set up with a bento. "It's beautiful…"

"Well, I would hope so."

"Did you do this yourself?" She tore her eyes from the beautiful scene to look back up at him.

"Don't be silly, Haruhi. We have people for that." He sauntered to the table and took a seat.

_Don't be silly, Haruhi!_ _I guess some things will never change._ She took the seat next to him, on the same side of the table. "It looks delicious. Thank you for this, Kyoya."

"Oh, it wasn't much trouble. Is it alright? I wasn't sure what kind of food commoners are accustomed to, but I tried to make sure—"

She shook her head. "Not the food, Kyoya. For today."

He pushed her hair off her forehead and kissed it lightly. _Bzzt. Bzzt._

"Sorry," She apologized, digging her phone out of her pocket, and flipping it open.

_Are you with him? Call me when you're not. –Hikaru_

"Who was it?" He said, putting a plate of food in front of each of them.

"Hikaru." She angrily shut her phone. "But it's okay, I ignored it. I'm not talking to him anyway."

"You don't have to ignore him for my sake." She caught a glimpse of his still bruised cheek.

"Did he apologize to you?" she asked.

"No."

"Then I won't talk to him." She took an annoyed bite of stir-fry. "He has to learn that he can't be selfish and childish anymore. He's almost 18! I wish he would just grow up."

"I don't really blame him for his reaction," He opened a bottle of water and took a sip. "I probably would have done the same thing in his shoes; especially with you beating around the bush like that. It made it look like it was entirely my decision."

"I was _not _beating around the bush!"

"You were stuttering."

"So? I made that decision on a whim… It wasn't like I had exactly written a script out or anything." She played around with the food on her plate. "Kyoya, about what you said before… You wouldn't have done that, you're a bigger person than that, aren't you?"

He sighed. "Who knows? I think I probably would have been incredibly upset: possibly to the point of violence, but let's be honest, I don't think I'd want to live in the world where I lost you to Hikaru."

Silence crept over the clearing.

"That's never going to happen." She said after a minute, taking his hand.

"I know." He smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: So this took me longer than I'm proud of. There's a top 5 list of why this took so long on my profile (at the WAY bottom) if you care to read it.<strong>

**Happy New Year! My resolution is to finish (start over?) some of my open fics and to read 3 ACTUAL books a month. I love reading, but I usually get sucked into manga and fanfics and leave the "real" stuff behind :(**


	2. Never Call You Mine

_**But I could never call you mine 'cause I could never call myself yours.**_

* * *

><p>"Haruhi's been ignoring me all weekend." Hikaru sat on the edge of an annoyed Kaoru's bed. Mondays weren't exactly Kaoru's favorite thing, so when his twin decided to pop in at 6:30 (<em>before<em> his alarm rang!) to rant about his nonexistent love life (as he had _all weekend_), well, needless to say, he was peeved.

"Hikaru, I don't think you fully understand the situation." He pulled the covers back over his head. This led Hikaru to climb under the covers, too, in an attempt to wake him.

"Tell me what I'm missing!" He shook his brother's back. "Come on, tell me, if you're so smart!"

"She likes Kyoya." He grumbled into the pillow. "You beat up Kyoya."

"So?" Hikaru was oblivious to the fault. So what if he beat up Kyoya? That didn't have anything to do with the way she should feel about him, did it?

"So, that makes you the bad guy." Kaoru rolled over to look at Hikaru, shooting daggers from his eyes.

"Oh." He took a moment to ponder this and decide how to fix it. "So… I should apologize to Haruhi…"

"Would you get out of my room?"

Hikaru jumped out of his bed and ran to the door, mentally preparing his big apology speech. When he went to open the door, he paused for a moment and turned back.

"Thanks, Kaoru!"

"Get out!" A pillow hit the back of his now closing door.

Xxx

Hikaru waited all morning for the perfect time to ask for forgiveness of Haruhi, so when home room rolled around, he could hardly contain himself. He had paid little attention during the lesson and instead tried different ways in his head to express himself to Haruhi.

"Ahem." Hikaru cleared his throat. Haruhi, absorbed (or at least pretending to be absorbed) in her biology textbook, paid him no mind. He tried again, a little louder this time. "AHEM." Still no reaction. "Haruhi? I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened on Friday. I lost control and I'm really… honestly… sorry." He wasn't expecting to choke on his pride.

"Hm?" She looked up and let her eyes wander around the room. "Kaoru, did you say something?"

"Um… Haruhi…" Kaoru was unsure if she was serious or not. "That was Hikaru."

"Couldn't have been." She harrumphed. "I'm not speaking to him."

"Real mature." Hikaru pounded his fist on her desk to catch her attention. She purposefully looked away. "I'm trying to apologize here!"

"You didn't attack me, did you?" Haruhi fiercely countered. "Who should you apologize to? I'm sick of what a child you're being lately!"

He was taken aback by her fiery response. His own rage boiled just below the surface. With every ounce of will power he had, he managed a reply.

"Haruhi." His teeth and fists clenched. "I'm not going to apologize to him."

"Why not?" She was about to burst herself. Kaoru moved away slowly, sensing the ensuing explosion.

"Because." He seethed. "I'm not sorry I hit him. I'm sorry you were there to see it."

"What the hell kind of apology was that?"

"Let's calm down a little…" Kaoru said, hiding behind his desk in the "safe" zone. "You're making a scene."

This was true. Their usually quiet homeroom was now a viewing arena for the most interesting fight of the semester and everyone was gathered around, looking anxiously.

"WHO CARES?" Haruhi and Kaoru shouted back at Kaoru in unison.

*Heavy Motor Sounds*

"Ohohohoho… Ohohohoho!" Renge cackled. Microphone in hand, she began to narrate the dispute. "Ladies and gentlemen! A lover's quarrel! This is obviously a spat between two boys whose love has gone awry! How Moe!"

"Shut up, Renge!" Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi all snapped at once.

"This conversation is over." Haruhi said sternly as she collected her bag and left the classroom. Hikaru steamed.

"Well, that was kind of rude." Renge muttered.

"You tried, Hikaru." Kaoru placed a supportive pat on his shoulder.

"Not. Hard. Enough."

"Then, go after her." Kaoru whispered in his brother's ear. Hikaru shot him a wary side-glance. "Just don't yell, okay?"

"Kaoru…"

"Just go, already!" He playfully shoved Hikaru out the door. As Hikaru started taking off running, Kaoru sighed and muttered under his breath, "Whose side am I on?"

"Haruhi!" Hikaru shouted down the hall. She hadn't been running, so it didn't take much time for him to catch up. "Haruhi! Wait!"

"What do you want?" She impatiently demanded.

"I'm sorry about that."

"You're sorry you yelled at me, or you're sorry I had to hear you yell at me?" She asked with venom in her voice.

"Look, the whole reason I acted like that on Friday…"

"I know." She sighed. "You don't have to say it. I get it. Just in the future, you should understand that you don't own me, okay? I don't care if you disapprove of my relationship, that's not for you to decide. I'm not yours."

"Are we… okay now?"

"If you apologize properly to Kyoya, we can pretend like it never happened."

"You don't even use honorifics anymore?" He could feel jealousy swelling in the back of his throat again. "I mean… Sure. I'll do that. Now let's get back to homeroom, okay?"

"Fine." They started to walk back to class.

"Where were you going, anyway?"

"I don't know… Away?"

"The pool house for a rendezvous with Romeo?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Shut up."

"Okay."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: You'll have to imagine that last bit of dialogue as fading into the distance as they start walking into the horizon… hallway? Anyhow… <strong>

**I guess all it really takes is a good sit down at the old pen and paper to jog the little writer in my head. After putting this off for almost two weeks, I've now finished chapters 1 and 2 (of 10) within 24 hours :)**


	3. Defying Destiny

_**And if we were really meant to be, then we've just defied destiny. It's not that our love died, it just never really bloomed.**_

* * *

><p>"Hikaru?" Kyoya popped his head into class 2-A. Hikaru was the only one there. The afternoon light funneled through the grand windows. "Have you seen Haruhi?"<p>

"Hm?" Hikaru was pulled out of a trance. He had been sitting there since the final bell, just trying to decide if apologizing to Kyoya was worth it or not. He had gone back and forth too many times to count. "Oh, Haruhi? She left a while ago."

"Okay, thank you." Kyoya turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hikaru shouted after him. "I have something I have to say."

Kyoya didn't turn back around, but he did stop to listen. He was sure that the next words out of Hikaru's mouth would be undeniably insincere. Nevertheless, there was no reason not to at least hear him out…

"Kyoya-sempai, on Friday, I over reacted. I let my jealousy get the best of me. I'm sorry. I was out of line." Empty words. Perhaps, he thought, even if he didn't mean it, the apology would still count. "So… yeah. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." Kyoya still didn't even face him. "You're just saying that so Haruhi will talk to you again."

"So what if I am? Put yourself in my position!"

"I have." Kyoya said bluntly. "That's why I'm not going to tell her that you were insincere. I'll tell her you apologized." He started to walk out again.

"Why would you do that?" Hikaru demanded, catching up to him.

"Because," Kyoya looked him dead in the eyes, "_I _am the bigger man. Let's have a fair fight. I should tell you though, it doesn't matter how hard you fight, because Haruhi belongs with me."

"No she doesn't. You just can't see it yet. Haruhi and I are going to be together. Just wait and see!"

Kyoya chuckled and Hikaru suppressed the urge to hit him again.

"What the hell is so funny?" Hikaru insisted on an answer.

"If you two are meant to be," He was now full out laughing, "then I guess we're all going against destiny."

XXX

"Come on, come on… pick up… pick up…"

"Hi, this is Haninozuka Mitskuni and I'm either at school or eating cake right now…"

"Dammit!" Kaoru cursed under his breath. He waited patiently for the beep. "Honey-sempai? It's Kaoru. It's Monday afternoon and I, uh, need your advice… I'm really confused… Can you please call me back? Soon? Okay, I'm… I'm going to call Mori-sempai's… Maybe you're over there… Bye."

He flipped his phone shut and quickly opened it again. He dialed the first six numbers of Mori's phone number when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a foot in the air.

"Ah, boss? What's up?" Tamaki looked like he had just lost his best friend.

"Kaoru… I'm really lonely… The Main Residence is no fun!" he whined. "I'm not allowed to talk to anyone!"

"Look, boss that sucks, but…" Kaoru was in no mood to give advice. "Isn't that the price of your grandmother's favor?"

"I know… I know…" He said. "Can you tell me what's going on with the host club? I only ever get to see Kyoya now, and I think all he'll be able to talk about is how cute Haruhi is…"

"Aren't you talking about yourself?" Kaoru muttered. "Um, sure. What do you want to know?"

"Why is Kyoya's face all bruised?"

"You didn't hear that story? I thought everyone was gossiping about it…" Kaoru dragged it out; satisfied if only to see Tamaki upset that he was left out of the circle.

"What? What's everyone gossiping about! What happened to Kyoya's pretty face?" Tamaki spazzed.

"Hikaru."

"What does that mean?" Tamaki was puzzled.

"Hikaru happened. After you left, Hikaru went crazy and socked Kyoya, right in the face, like six times. It was crazy. And now he's trying to steal Haruhi away from him… I'm worried about the situation."

"Why would you tell me that?" Tamaki was suddenly enraged. "Now, I'm going to be worried about that, too! You could have just said he tripped down some stairs…"

"You're the one who asked… Can you even picture Kyoya tripping down stairs?"

"Well… no. But still, what you should have said is this," Tamaki cleared his throat and tried to impersonate Kaoru. "'Well, boss, everyone's fine, but we all miss you a lot! We should have lunch together tomorrow!' Now would that have been so hard?"

"You want me to lie to you? I'm sorry, but that didn't even sound like me…"

"Whatever. I have to go, Grandmother will notice if I'm late."

"Bye, boss…" Kaoru waved. He then looked back at his phone. He dialed Mori and impatiently waited for an answer.

"Hello?" Mori's voice filled the receiver.

"Mori-sempai! Is Honey-sempai there?" he asked.

"Mhm." Mori answered there was a mechanical click as he switched the phone to speaker.

"Kao-chan?" Honey asked with concern in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Can you help me figure myself out? I have no idea what I'm doing."

"How quickly can you get over here?"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: Thanks so much to every single person reading this story:) [especially, you!] Okay. Chapter 3 is done! Chapter 4 hopefully tomorrow? I don't know for sure. Stay tuned!<strong>


	4. I Can't Move On

_**Now I can't let go. No, I can't let go of you. You're holding me back without even trying to. Now I can't let go. I can't move on from the past. Without lifting a finger, you're holding me back.**_

* * *

><p>When Kaoru reached Mori's place, he found Mori, Honey, and Usa-chan eagerly awaiting his arrival on the porch. No sooner did he reach them than he found Usa-chan impatiently thrust to his chest.<p>

"No offense, Honey-sempai," Kaoru said. "But I don't think I actually need this…"

"Are you saying you don't like Usa-chan?" Honey's high pitch was enraged. "Usa-chan always makes everyone feel better. Even Takashi!"

"Really?" Kaoru looked up at Mori, who shrugged in reply, almost as if to say, "just go with it." Grudgingly, Kaoru took a seat next to Honey and let Usa-chan sit on his lap. "Okay, well, the reason I came is—"

"We know." Mori grunted.

"You told him?" Kaoru asked. "He knows how I feel about…"

"Kyoya?" Mori cut in. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Kao-chan! I tell Takashi everything!" Honey apologized energetically.

"It's okay, I guess." Who was Mori going to tell, anyway? "Okay, well, what if I was wrong before? And that's not the way I feel after all?"

"What do you mean?" Honey asked.

"I mean, what if I mistook respect for something more? I mean isn't love the way you feel for someone you want to see unconditionally happy? If it is, then why do I keep helping Hikaru try and break up Kyoya and Haruhi?"

"Did you ever think that maybe you might want to see them break up?" Honey prompted. "Did you ever think that if Kyo-chan and Haru-chan broke up, then it would make you happy to see him single again?"

"Well… Maybe. But it feels wrong." Kaoru confessed.

"Then move on." Mori bluntly stated.

"I don't think I can…" He was confusing himself with every word that left his mouth. "I know it's ridiculous, but I almost hope that he'll see how much I'm suffering for him and start to feel the way I do. But Kyoya obviously only likes girls…"

"Um Kao-chan? Can I ask you something personal?" Honey avoided eye contact.

"Yeah?"

"How long have you known you like guys?"

"Um, well Kyoya's the first, but I don't think it really matters if the person I fall for is a guy or a girl. Isn't the inside more important than that? My god, I sounded just like Haruhi there for a moment…"

Honey giggled. "Well, you're always the same Kao-chan to me! But if you know that chasing Kyo-chan is a bad idea, then why do it?"

"Because for some reason… I can't move on."

XXX

Hikaru didn't know how long he sat in the empty classroom just staring at the walls. The shadows grew longer and longer until he finally realized that he was probably the last one in the school. It wasn't dark out yet, and he'd been at the school later with the host club, but for some reason, as he walked through empty hall after empty hall, his footsteps echoing off the high ceilings, he became very anxious. On edge was more like it.

He suddenly realized how rarely he was ever truly alone. Kaoru and he had even slept in the same bed until earlier that very year. It wasn't a usual feeling to be so aware of his solitude. With Haruhi's laughter haunting his memory, he couldn't help but feel lonelier than he had in his entire life to this point.

"Hikaru-kun?" A soft voice from the end of the hall rang out. Subconsciously, Hikaru touched his dark hair, remembering how easily people could tell him from his brother now. He turned to see who it was, but all he could make out was the female uniform.

"Hikaru-kun? Why are you here so late?" Kurikano stepped out of the intense light, where he could see her.

"I could ask you the same thing, right?" He said bitterly. He was in no mood to play host, especially not to one of Haruhi's clients.

"The student government had a meeting that ran really late, I just had to clean up. Where's Kaoru?" She asked innocently as she made her way closer to him. "I hardly ever see the two of you apart…"

"Actually," He paused to think. Hikaru decided that Kaoru had probably been home for a while waiting for him. "I have to go home now."

"That's too bad," Kurikano said softly. "I was hoping I could talk to you…"

"Is this going to take long? Because I really don't want to be here right now."

"I'll be quick!" She touched his arm and met his eyes. "I just… about Haruhi-kun… That's a totally hopeless case, isn't it?"

He blushed a deep scarlet. "The rumors must really be flying now…" He muttered. Looking back at her he frowned. "Look, I don't know what you've heard, but I guarantee that it was all just a misunderstanding and…"

"What are you talking about, Hikaru-kun?" She cocked her head slightly, confusion building.

"What are _you_ talking about?" He countered, suddenly confused himself.

"Haruhi-kun," She began. "Haruhi-kun is never going to love me back is he? I wish I was the kind of woman that a person like Haruhi-kun would fall in love with, but I guess it just isn't meant to be, is it?"

"Um," Hikaru tried to approach the situation gender-neutrally. "Haruhi is in love with someone, I think."

"He is?" He heard a slight tremble—no, quiver.

"I think so… I mean Haruhi _is_ dating someone."

"He is?" This time the quiver was more pronounced. "I guess I should have expected that, falling in love with someone like Haruhi. Everyone who meets him loves him. It was only a matter of time before he found someone he liked…" A tear formed in both eyes.

"Kurikano-san… I know how you feel." A little more than he cared to admit aloud, but still.

"You also have someone you love?"

"I… I do." He didn't fully understand why he was telling her this, only that if he didn't tell someone, his heart might burst. She knew the way he felt. No one else would admit to feeling the way he did. "But she doesn't love me back. Even though there's someone else, I'm not going to give up."

"She must be pretty special." Kurikano sniffed and rubbed at her left eye.

"She makes special look ordinary." He sighed. For a moment, the world was silent again.

"I've decided that I will definitely move on from Haruhi-kun." She weakly smiled, breaking the silence. "I've realized that, while Haruhi is important to me, I can't be happy if I dwell on this."

"Eh?" Hikaru said, puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"If Haruhi is happy with someone else, don't I deserve to be happy, too? That's why I'm going to be able to get over this heartbreak. I'll find someone else, I'm sure. Thank you, Hikaru."

"Well," He studied the plush carpet of the hallway for a moment. "I should probably go, then."

As he left the building, four words screamed from his heart, burning a whole where his happiness should be.

_I CAN'T MOVE ON._

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: Writing the Kurikano scene is like trying to explain this anime without ruining the first episode… I had to go back like five different times to make sure that I didn't have Hikaru using ANY gender specific pronouns! Sometimes I think it would be easier to write in Japanese and not have to worry about that.<strong>


	5. Another Man

_**Then we saw our paths diverge. And I guess I felt okay about it, until you got with another man.**_

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Kyoya flipped open his phone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. He made his way down the stairs in his house. He was running precisely on schedule, as per usual.<p>

"Kyoya? I have an important question." Haruhi declared, from her kitchen.

"Oh, is that so?" He smiled instinctively at the sound of her voice. "Go ahead, Haruhi, ask away."

"Okay, so I heard that the second years always have to do a big project in the middle of the first semester… What does that entail exactly?" She held a pen in her free hand, ready to take notes on his response.

"That's your important question? Couldn't your teacher have answered that?" He sighed. "Well, you have to work in group to organize a booth at the second year festival."

"Second year festival?" She asked. "I don't remember that from last year…"

"Well of course you wouldn't. It's like the normal school festival, but only second year students attend." He stopped in the foyer. "In addition to the normal school festival activities, university representatives make presentations about their respective schools."

"Ah, I see." She jotted down his words.

"Are you taking notes?" He asked at the sound of her scratching pen.

"Um, yes?"

"You're cute, Haruhi." She blushed, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. _Why is my heart beating so fast? It's not like Tamaki-sempai hasn't said that before._ "I'll see you at school, then."

"Okay. Bye, Kyoya."

Xxx

"Today, we're getting into groups for the big first semester project!" Soga, the class rep, said studiously from the chalkboard. "The requirements are this: Each booth must be school appropriate, operated by two people, and because this is a business exercise, form some sort of revenue."

Kurikano wrote the requirements on the board behind him as the class began to buzz with excitement.

"Haruhi and I will be a group!" Hikaru laced his arm under hers. She grumbled an inaudible, apathetic response.

"Not necessary." Soga interrupted, matter-of-factly. "Groups have already been randomly selected by the student council."

"So, who are the pairs?" Kaoru asked, slightly annoyed. He hadn't been sleeping much lately.

"Houshakuji and Kasugazaki." Renge looked over to her partner.

"I object!" Renge announced. "I refuse to work with her!"

"Why?" Haruhi asked, confusedly.

"She's a female! I want to work with a male! Can't you just imagine? Falling in love while spending so much time together working on a school festival booth! This could be a real opportunity for me! Like shoujo manga…"

"Not a valid excuse. Next pair: Fujioka and Hitachiin." Soga read.

"YES!" Hikaru punched the air. "I knew it would end up being us in the end, Haruhi!"

"I should clarify," Soga cleared his throat. "Fujioka and Hitachiin _Kaoru_."

"Eh?" Kaoru looked up. "Me?" He pointed to himself.

"Yes. Do your best, you two. Next pair? Ah, yes. Hitachiin _Hikaru_ and Kurikano."

"We'll also do our best." Kurikano smiled sweetly from behind her clipboard. Hikaru sighed and ran a hand through his darkened hair. He looked over to a still shell-shocked Kaoru, who simply shrugged and looked back at Haruhi.

"Switch me…" Hikaru whispered in Kaoru's ear.

"Not allowed!" Soga interjected.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. This was not going the way he thought it should have.

When he finished reading off the pairs, Soga turned back to the class. "You will have one week to finish your plans for the booth. Be prepared for the festival, everyone!"

Xxx

"What's the class rep's problem?" Hikaru asked his brother on their way out for the day. "I mean, if he wanted to be a dictator, did we really have to nominate him?"

"You're just upset that you aren't working with Haruhi." Kaoru scoffed.

"You seem to be in a mood today, too." He noted. "Did you sleep poorly?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I didn't sleep at all. I was up all night thinking about certain things." Kaoru slung his bag over his other shoulder.

"What things?" Hikaru stopped walking.

"This and that…" His voice trailed off. He cursed himself under his breath for saying anything. "Nothing important."

"Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!" Haruhi's voice called out. They both turned to see Haruhi and Kyoya walking out the building. Kyoya, gave a small salute.

"They go home together?" The twins asked in unison. Matching expressions of heartbreak crept over their faces for the briefest moment. Kaoru suddenly noticed what he must have looked like and shook the stupid thoughts away.

"Come on, you lovesick idiot. It's time to go home." Kaoru punched his brother playfully on the shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: This took a really long time to write, but it's the shortest chapter D:<strong>

**I've been so busy with schoolwork and such that I've hardly had anytime to write. That's only part true. I've also been procrastinating writing this because I was afraid it would be really bad… So I watched Hana Kimi and Gilmore Girls instead…**


	6. A Chance to Grow

_**"Then, I couldn't understand why it bothered me so. It's not that our love died, it never had the chance to grow."**_

* * *

><p>"So, do you have any ideas?" Haruhi asked the next day in the second library room. The room was filled with other second years brainstorming for the second-year festival. "Because, honestly, I have no clue what we should do."<p>

"Me, either." Kaoru answered without hesitation. "I mean, food booths are overdone. Everyone will do a food booth. Plus, we only have two people, so it'll be hard to do anything too big."

"Yeah," She agreed. "Well, we could… Oh, nevermind. It's kind of dumb."

"What is?" He perked up a little. "A dumb idea is better than no idea!"

"Um, well, I guess I thought maybe a we could do a cosplay-photo booth? You could design the costumes, and I could help sew them. Then, people would come, try on the costumes and pay to have their picture taken in them."

"Haruhi, that's—"

"Dumb, I know." She sighed and rested her head on her palm.

"No!" He exclaimed. "That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? It'll be the best booth for sure!"

"Really? You think so?" He nodded in excited response before throwing open his bag and digging around noisily. Haruhi leaned forward out of curiosity to see what he was doing. "Kaoru, what are you looking for?"

"My sketchbook." He answered curtly. "I have a ton of costumes planned for the host club that I never got a chance to use on account of… Well, you know."

She did know. Lately the host club's closing had been bothering her more and more. Being with Kyoya was nice, actually she really liked being with Kyoya, but it wasn't the same. She missed Honey and Mori. She hardly ever saw them now, and Tamaki… The last time she had spoken to Tamaki, he had just left, without saying a word. Maybe he was mad at her? Like Hikaru? Hikaru. That was so complicated and messy. Despite her promise to forgive him if he apologized— which Kyoya had assured her he had— she was still a little angry with him.

"Ah, here it is!" Kaoru exclaimed at last, pulling a large, spiral-bound notebook at least three inches thick from his bag. He dropped it on the desk with a loud _thunk_. Haruhi wondered how he could possibly lose something that size.

Kaoru's sketchbook was sectioned off with six color-coded tabs. "One for each of us," he explained, opening the white tab labeled with a capital H. "This is your part. See, about half of these are girl's clothes, so we can alter some of those… Oh, and here!" He flipped to the dark purple tab that bore a capital K. "This is some of my best work." He boasted.

"For Kyoya?" She clarified. "Wow, I really like that one," Haruhi said, pointing to an intricate kimono design.

"Me, too. Say, Haruhi… How is Kyoya-sempai lately? I mean with his…" Kaoru's voice trailed off a little as he pointed to his own cheek, indicating Kyoya's bruises.

"He's healthy and all that. I don't think it'll scar or anything." She answered directly with a shrug.

"Oh that's good, no thanks to my brother." He averted his gaze. "I, um, I'm sorry about all that. I meant to tell Kyoya-sempai that, too, but it's been difficult for me to talk to him recently."

"Why is that?"

"Eh," Kaoru searched for the right words. Haruhi was Kyoya's girlfriend after all, so maybe he shouldn't have brought this up at all. "Well I know it hasn't been long, but the host club closed, and The Boss is all depressed. Kyoya-sempai and Hikaru are fighting. Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai are so busy with school… it feels like we're all falling apart."

"I know," She agreed quietly. "And then I went and ruined everything at our picnic. I'm a terrible friend."

"Don't say that, Haruhi." Kaoru rested his hand on hers. If she was a terrible friend, what did that make him? Haruhi felt bad about telling everyone the truth, while here he was, lying to everyone— even himself a little bit. Kaoru felt like he was prying the host club farther apart by acting on his own jealousy and encouraging his brother to do the same. "I think everything will be okay, in the end." He said this as much for his own benefit as hers.

"Kaoru? You shouldn't feel guilty about what happened. It was mostly my fault. I think you should talk to Kyoya, though. He doesn't blame you for anything. Besides, we all should be together. I have a few amends to make, myself…"

"Haruhi?"

"Look, all I'm saying is that if this host club is going to stay together, it's up to us to keep it that way."

"Right!" He smiled.

* * *

><p>"Well, let's get this over with." Hikaru sighed with annoyance.<p>

"Um, what do you want to do, Hikaru-kun?" Kurikano asked quietly from her desk in homeroom. All the other pairs had retreated to the library rooms or clubrooms, leaving them alone in class 2-A.

"I'm indifferent." He declared.

"Oh, I see." She answered. There was silence. Hikaru twirled his pencil between his fingers. "Hikaru-kun," Kurikano began again. "Are you really that upset that you have to work with me? I mean, that is… I was kind of looking forward to working with you, but I see now that you must really be annoyed by me."

"No… It's nothing personal. I find most people annoying."

"Oh." Her voice got small.

"Shit. No, that came out wrong. Look, I'm really bad at talking to people. I think I'm getting better, but obviously it's not something I'm naturally good at. I'm sorry, you're not that annoying, I promise."

"Not that annoying?"

"Damn, I didn't mean—" She put a hand up with a small smile to stop him.

"It's okay, Hikaru-kun. I'm not good at it either. I'm really shy and people used to really scare me. That's why I do student government. I guess it makes it easier to talk to people when I feel like I have the upper hand, like being in charge. That sounds cowardly, right?" She dropped her gaze, and let her long hair fall in her face.

"No way," Hikaru answered. "I get it. Totally. People can't hurt you if they mean less than you do. I know, I can come off as a jerk sometimes, but it's not because I like being mean, it's just like, if I make myself better than someone, they don't have any power over me." He let out a small laugh.

"I don't think you're a jerk, Hikaru-kun. I think you're being honest with your feelings. I admire that."

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't think you're shy. You seem to be able to talk to me just fine."

"That's because," A pale pink blush crept across her cheek, as she pulled her hair behind her ear. "That's because you're not uncomfortable to be around."

"Not uncomfortable?" He raised an eyebrow; unsure as to whether that was a compliment or just a statement.

"Yeah, not uncomfortable." Kurikano held a small smile on her lips. Suddenly, the room was quiet again as it settled into an awkward silence. "So," She clapped her hands together. "About that booth…"

* * *

><p>"Kyoya! Kyoya! Pst! Kyoya!"<p>

Tamaki's harsh whisper filled Kyoya's ear. Slowly, he turned in his chair and shot a glare at the idiot behind him. However, as usual, Tamaki's warm smile beat Kyoya's icy stare.

"What?" He hissed back. Tamaki only smiled brighter before holding out a neatly folded note sealed with a pink heart sticker. The front read, "To Mommy, with all of Daddy's love".

Kyoya reluctantly accepted the note and peeled back the sticker to open it. He paused for a moment to let out an exasperated breath. Tamaki's handwriting was awful. Never the less, he began to read.

"_My Dearest Kyoya,_

_You should tell me what's going on with the host club. Is it true that you and Hikaru are being mean to each other? How is Haruhi? Is she mad at me?_

_I know you were wondering, but I'm fine. Don't worry about me, okay? Seriously, she's not mad, is she?_

_Class is so boring, Kyoya. Do you know what this lesson is about? I stopped paying attention at the beginning… Haha. You know what? I think the only thing that used to make school bearable was that I knew that I got to go to the host club after._

_I know I should be happy about living in the main residence, but I'm really lonely._

_Do you think maybe we could all get together for lunch again, soon? Well that is, if Haruhi's not too mad at me… And if you and Hikaru make up… Then again, maybe not…_

_Much Love,_

_Tama-chan (Daddy)"_

Kyoya sighed again. This guy really was hopeless, and now, he had made Kyoya feel really guilty. He ripped a page from the back of his notebook and scrawled quickly.

"_Tamaki:_

_I understand that you're upset. I suppose that, if it really means that much to you, you and I can eat lunch together tomorrow. _

_But you'll owe me._

_Kyoya."_

**A.N.: I bet you thought I was never going to update this again… Honestly I surprised myself by writing. I'll definitely finish this, I promise!**

**(P.S. Kurikano and Hikaru is my crackship…)**


End file.
